astr0creep

I think they also need a story that is detached enough to allow players who never played K1 and K2 to get in and enjoy it just the same. Like K2 was.

This all sounds so... constrictive. And boring. I'm very sad right now.

As you so subtly pointed out, the main problem with such a force is the possibility of corruption and abuse of power from certain members. In theory, they are essential and should have Carte Blanche. In practice they must be closely monitored and severely reprimanded for any transgression. We have a language police here in Quebec if you can believe it...

PC. PS2 when my wife plays on PC. Nin's for kids and XBox is same as PC+restrictions.

What do these games have in common? How do you even dare to put Ultima and Diablo in the same category? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Can't you read? They're not D&D.

Does a car have a soul? Does a toaster? Or is that "privilege" only reserved for humano

Is the scaling adjustable through the contruction set? Like a slider or numerical value or does it have to be changed seperately for every item, enemy, etc?

Your faith will be rekindled with GalCiv2 my sweet Darque.

Henchmen are hired companions. You can keep the same Henchmen throughout the entire game(s) or switch between them(you only pay once) depending on who you might need although if you want to switch you need to return to the Inn or Tavern or wherever they are found(there is no party selection screen like KotOR). Each Henchmen have his/her own story and game-spanning quest and you access the next quest stages through conversations, usually after levelups or when you find certain items or people. You can have 1 henchmen at a time except for the 2nd expansion in which you get 2(+summons) and they talk to each other like in KotOR, sometimes interupting at inopportune times... As henchmen you may choose between healer, bard, mage, sorcerer, barbarian, fighter and rogue and they vary in gender, personnality and alignment. In the second expansion they can also change class if you let them(through conversation) and you can access their inventory and change their equipment. I prefer, by far, Hordes of the Underdark but I'm biased... Hope this helps and is accurate.

The people at Bethesda must be practicing for Fallout 3 *winks at Hades*

I just finished clearing the Cuneo Warehouse with Sonny and guess what... It's getting dull. Too repetitive.

So what's the point of leveling up if the enemies will always be as powerful as you and the items will always be "alright" to you? Example: In another game, let's say Gothic 1, you find a big 2-hander sword but your strength isn't high enough to wield it. You now have motivation to lvlup and put those points in Str so you can use your shiny new sword. If it's a dagger or a rusty 2-hander you just sell it. In Oblivion, you open a chest and the sword is exactly what you can use, everytime. You can still sell it but what's your motivation for lvlup? And doesn't the lack of lesser items/enemies limit the immersion factor? In Morrowind I once played a game where after 3 hours I had Sunder in my inventory. Thats the kind of open-endedness I expect from an Elder Scrolls game...

See now I think that sucks but I haven't played it yet. And it won't stop me from buying it.

Scaling enemies is not bad at all. It challenges the player and most games are too easy nowadays anyway. And if Oblivion gets too hard, there is a difficulty slider for such purpose. Wizardry 8 had scaling enemies and they would often attack in packs of 30-50 against your 6-8 party members... And it's still a great game. My main concern right now is with weapons/armor/items. For the loot carried by scaled enemies it is fine and logical and all. But no matter what level I am, if I have to unlock a chest to get whatever is inside, the treasure should have the possibility to be worth unlocking. Same thing with merchants. I should be able to BUY a good axe no matter what lvl I am, my choice limited only buy the amount of moola I'm carrying. Right?

I wasn't being mean. I just didn't see the point of your post. Oblivion's scaling is on the extreme end of the spectrum. Most enemies do scale to your level, so if you're involved in a quest to kill goblins and level 20, you'll face level 20 goblins. Random monters, on the other hand, are random and do change as you level up. At low levels you encounter things like wolves or boars. Towards the higher levels you meet things like ogres, minotaurs or spriggans. As has been said, Oblivion is entirely leveled. Everything scales to your level, at least everything that springs to mind. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> *Sorry I missed your posts while I was writing mine* Well this sounds to me like Morrowind improved. You have erased most of my worries about the game, although scaling items in this open world seems like a big problem. Can you still find "special" weapons/armor/items, like in caves, dungeons or can't you access those if low level?

As you level , the goblin levels with you. In plot instances you have different creatures. But they level too so you not only end up with a tougher creature but a tougher boosted creature. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thats what I thought from your previous explanations ShadowP and thats what scaling is supposed to be. So what is ShadowS saying then? Anyway I still say there should be some enemies that are not scaling. In an open-ended world. What about items?

Now, now, don't be mean I was just theorizing as I have not played it yet for financial reasons only. I will buy it ASAP... When you are level 20, are there still lvl 1 Goblins running around or just Lvl 20 Giants instead(or lvl 20 Goblins)? What about weapons/armor/items availability? Is the scaling in this case only for loot carried by dead enemies or is also applied when a dungeon/city/room is loaded? Is leveled items/enemies the same thing as scalability or something completely different?

This makes no sense. Whats the difference between fighting a goblin and fighting a giant, aside from cosmetics? A giant is just a more powerful foe to pit against the PC. That is scaling. All RPGs have had scaling. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The difference is in the ROLE-PLAYING and the CONVENTIONS that come with it. If a Goblin is as strong as a Giant without any special buffs, something's wrong with the balancing. Imo. "

Maybe, but thats not the point of the thread. It's what can be learned from Oblivion so you dont repeat the same mistakes. As for correcting it. Well it looks like quite a lot of people actually like the scaling as it is. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I haven't played Oblivion yet. I don't mind some scaling, like some enemies but you need generic ones. As for scaling weapons/armor/items availability, I don't think it has any place in an OPEN ENDED world like what Elder Scrolls games are supposed to provide. In Morrowind I could go pick up those 2 special weapons to beat Dagoth Ur right from the start if I wanted to. The problem was that it was too easy to get them(invisibility) and some scaled enemies would've been nice. Meh.

Just a thought but... No patches have been released yet. I'm pretty sure Bethesda will release a fix soon that will deal with some of the issues of their flagship game. And mods are already popping up... Patience is the mother of all virtues.

She's also a robot.

Buy it, play it, enjoy it. Get the Diamond package as it includes both expansions and extra modules like Witch's Wake and Kingmaker. And it's quite cheap now. You will access all the forums at Bioware once you register your game...

Lyric Suite ftw!

Bicentennial Man (nice movie btw) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Alien 4... Metropolis.

Anyone else starting to feel old? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wise perhaps, not old. :D